Posted - 12/18/2013 : 15:41:39 While watching the overtime / shootout in the Canucks / Wild game last night, i was horrified to hear that the Canucks had only scored 2 goals on 15 shots this season during shootouts. I know they're not very good at it, and Luongo is often blamed as he's not had success, but can you blame him with the support he gets at the other end? Yikes. And after last night's 0 fer 3 effort, they now stand at 2 out of 18! Wow!!!

I think the only thing more surprising is that the Red WIngs are worse! They currently sit at 2 for 21 (the Devils are 1 for 17 and currently last percentage-wise).

I know they say the advantage is actually to the goalie, but these numbers are ridiculous!

Posted - 12/19/2013 : 17:36:41 I was looking at my teams shootout stats and thinking, boy I wish they had that good a result as some of the teams on your list. The first 5 games without a shootout goal, with 1 win in 6 and now 4 goals on 23 shots. Lehner has even joked in the media that he is not a shootout goalie going 0 for 3 with 6 goals against on 14 shots. Anderson, who's having a horrible season, is the goalie the Sen's want for the shootout. He has the 1 Shootout win for the season going 1 for 3 in games, with 4 goals against on 7 shots.

I'd say Ottawa would be in a worse position because they have trouble even reaching the Shootout in which they have a .16666% win ratio.

Alex116

Posted - 12/19/2013 : 15:19:51

quote:Originally posted by Guest4178I do find it interesting that Mike Santorelli has the most shootout attempts on Vancouver than any other Canucks player though. (He's 1 for 5. Conversely, Eric Fehr from the Capitals is 5 for 5, so I understand why he's selected to take shots in the shoot-out, but no so sure about Santonelli.).

I don't know his numbers, but apparently Santorelli, for his career, has pretty good ones. That's why he's getting an opportunity (or multiple opportunities) early this season!

As far as the Canucks, i agree it's somewhat inexplicable. I do think though, that a lot of the guys who have success at the SO are younger as the "kids" seem to enjoy practicing this skill more than the old guys. The Canucks don't have a ton of youth, especially in the more skilled positions, so this could be a factor. It's not like they don't or havent practiced this in the past, but as Torts said recently, you can practice all you want, but you can't simulate the pressure of taking a shot in front of 18,000 fans with a game on the line!

Guest4178

Posted - 12/19/2013 : 14:19:30 Ooops – made a mistake to include Detroit as a top shootout team.

Correction – Washington was a top team last season, and this season, their stats are as follows:

23 for 45 (2013) / 12 for 32 (2012-13)

Detroit's stats are correct as noted: 2 for 21 so far this season, and 5 for 9 last season.

Guest4178

Posted - 12/19/2013 : 14:16:10 I think it's more an anomaly than anything else. Shootout goals (and team success in the shootout) tends to be streaky. I don't think the Canucks are dramatically less skilled at scoring shootout goals than any other given team. I do find it interesting that Mike Santorelli has the most shootout attempts on Vancouver than any other Canucks player though. (He's 1 for 5. Conversely, Eric Fehr from the Capitals is 5 for 5, so I understand why he's selected to take shots in the shoot-out, but no so sure about Santonelli.)

I did check and compare the shootout records of the top and bottom teams the past two seasons (shortened season last year, and only 34-35 games so far this year), and the top three shootout teams this season (percentage wise) did well last season:

So if you're comfortable with small (and selective) samplings, there are some teams better in the shootout than others.

I would venture to say that Vancouver will not continue at their current pace in the shootout, and further, I think Vancouver has just as good a chance to score (percentage wise) at an average NHL's teams pace to finish the season, and perhaps better than the current top teams (Edmonton, Buffalo or Detroit).

And perhaps this is why so many fans deplore the shootout in deciding the winner of hockey games. It's a skills competition after all, and if you compare the winning records of games won in regulation time (or the 5-minute overtime), there is very little correlation to the teams who are proficient (or deficient) in shootout games, and which teams are the best (or worst) teams in the league.

nuxfan

Posted - 12/19/2013 : 12:46:22 it is inexplicable. With so much scoring talent on the team, they should be better... I know when I watch them in shootouts they don't tend to try anything fancy - picking top corners and missing, or trying 5-hole and missing. Burrows has the only consistently effective move on the team, a forehand-to-backhand into the top half of the net, but even that is becoming predictable now.

It also doesn't help that Luongo does not do well in shootouts. He does have a very good record on penalty shots though, which again does not make sense...

Statman

Posted - 12/18/2013 : 19:53:51 No excuse for that. I'm not a particularly gifted scorer, in fact really much more of a passer, yet even I score on 35-40% of my shootout and or penalty shot attempts. All you have to do is watch what the best players do and follow it exactly. It may be six moves that you need to do on each shot but my point is that you can practice those six quick moves repeatedly and even a complicated set of moves is easy if you get to do it time and time again, exactly the same. The Canucks really need to start practicing those. There are big points on the line.